Summer is the season for great movies and I don’t know about you, but for me and my family, summer is when we go to the movies more than any other season of the year. Already, we went to three good ones since the start of summer and if you’re a family of movie lovers like we are, you know how it is when you have conversations about movies at the dinner table and that your “must-watch movie list” doesn’t seem to end. 🙂

Today, I’m excited to tell you about a new movie! I recently had the wonderful opportunity to be invited to an advanced screening of the new movie, The Little Mermaid + I also got to participate in a media conference call with the main characters, William Mosely and Poppy Drayton and with the movie director, Blake Harris and one of the film producers, Robert Molloy.

FILM SYNOPSIS: The Little Mermaid

Inspired by the 1837 Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale rather than the 1989 Disney movie, this fantasy-adventure film follows a young girl who discovers a beautiful, enchanting woman she believes to be the real “Little Mermaid” of lore. William Moseley (“The Royals”) stars as Cam Harrison, a young reporter following a big story about a Mermaid, Poppy Drayton (“Downton Abbey”), and a magic healing water said to cure all. Together with his sick niece Elle, Loreto Peralta (“Instructions Not Included”), they travel to a small town in Mississippi and uncover a legend that’s as mysterious as the circus they find it in. The film also includes Academy Award Winner Shirley MacLaine, (“The Last Word,”) Gina Gershon, (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) and Armando Gutierrez, (“Walt Before Mickey.”)

THE CONFERENCE CALL/INTERVIEW

During the conference call, the media (including myself) had the opportunity to ask questions about the film and how it came to be – from the main characters William Mosely, Poppy Drayton, Armando Gutierrez and from the movie director, Blake Harris and Robert Molloy, one of the producers of the film.

Moderator: William and Poppy why don’t you guys tell everyone how you came onto this movie.

Poppy: Well I got an e-mail from my agent and I read the script and I immediately fell in love with it. I thought it was a beautiful story and there was so many really whimsical magical moments in it that captured my imagination and as soon as I finished it I called my agent and went “I’d love to be in it” and it was like instant and then we just flew out and I joined the team and that was it really and the rest went from there.

William: Yeah it was a very similar experience for me. I read the script and instantly I knew. I was fortunate enough that I started my career with the Chronicles of Narnia franchise and I felt that the story had a lot of similarity in the fact that it’s a little girl with her belief in this mermaid. And you know there was these magical elements to it and you know I felt there were dynamics and there were story elements that were very similar that I had that I felt that I could play. And so I called my manager and I said I really want to do this. We want to be a part of the story. Rob and Blake then brought me onto the film and I think the script speaks for itself. We all fell in love with it and that was really Blake’s vision and on his story that has made this film what it is.

Moderator: And William you play a big brother and a caretaker in this film obviously and it’s such a touching relationship. Tell us about developing the relationship with Loreto Peralta who plays your little sister your niece in the film.

William: Yeah, you know I am the oldest of three. I have a younger brother and youngest sister. And you know I always try to think about what it would be like if this is my sister or my brother. If this was a family member of mine and then you don’t really have to say much you know you’re just in it – you know you just feel like you’re with your own siblings. And that’s when those fortunate things with the story that you know connects with you. Your own life. That was what I thought about when I was working with the rest of it. And fortunately she was such a lovely actress and a lovely person and the family was so, so great. It was it was a very easy symbiotic relationship.

Moderator: Why did you spend a lot of time with her when you weren’t shooting as well.

William: I did. It was really fun. You know we had a lot of fun on the film, we went off on adventures and we visited things and it was fun to open a children’s story – as opposed to like a horror film… I enjoyed our time and play.

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